It was just too beautiful a day to completely follow doctor's orders and stay down with my knee propped up, so I hobbled out to the edge of the yard to see what I could find and played with some close-ups.

A few days I posted some shots of irises that were close to blooming. Some of them have not bloomed. This one was blowing around in a strong wind.

A number of bees were flitting around the wild strawberries that cover a bank at the side of the yard.

Even a lizard came out to play

Finally, I was glad I had my Tamron 70-300 mounted when a huge butterfly flew along a line of azaleas.

The iris was shot with the Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 macro....the others with the 70-300.

Can't say as I blame you Paul, something about being stuck indoors on a beautiful day just isn't right!
The Iris is fantastic, that Tammy 28-75 is hard to beat. I have both the 28-75 and the SP 28-80. it's hard to see a difference in the two most of the time.
GW:bye:

The iris is certainly pretty, and your first bee is really good. Just tell your doctor that sunlight is important to emotional health and that's important to quick healing. So you were just aiding your recovery, right?

Great reflection in the eye of the 1st bee, and great sharpness. Your butterfly is a Giant Swallowtail - here is the description and Arkansas map from the Butterflies and Moths of North America website:

Great reflection in the eye of the 1st bee, and great sharpness. Your butterfly is a Giant Swallowtail - here is the description and Arkansas map from the Butterflies and Moths of North America website:

Thanks for the ID and the link. I don't remember having seen one of these before, but it was certainly more than eye-catching, both because of its size and markings. The data on the website certainly fit with the setting in which I saw it, cruising a line of azaleas.